At least three people were killed and dozens of passengers were injured when their train partly derailed near the Alpine resort town of Garmisch-Partenkirchen in southern Germany, the authorities said.
The regional train was traveling to Munich when it derailed around lunchtime, the police said. A spokesman for the district said about 60 passengers were injured, including more than a dozen with severe injuries.
Rescue operations were taking place with the assistance of helicopters from Austria, which shares a border with Germany in the Garmisch-Partenkirchen region, according to news reports.
Deutsche Bahn, the national railway company, said in a statement that the railway line was shut down between Garmisch-Partenkirchen and Oberau, a municipality in the district. Trains were being rerouted from Munich and other rail arteries.
Local news media showed at least one car spilling down the side of an embankment, as well as passengers sitting along the shoulder of a road near the tracks.
It was not immediately clear what caused the crash or how many passengers were onboard. It took place on the third day of a low-cost, nine-euro monthly train ticket plan by the government to help offset high transportation and fuel costs.
